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sure, it's almost like none at all, except that it still gives the benefit of taking the looseness out of that area of the tarp, which is the point of doing it.

That is fine Brandon and you are right about taking up looseness. I see where you are coming from. How much of something you do affects how much there is too it and if you aren't putting much of a catenary cut in the ridgeline, you aren't affecting the headroom and flatness of the tarp very much if at all.

If you put more catenary in the ridgeline, you take up any looseness that may have been along the ridgeline and begin tightening the center area of the tarp. At that point the drop in headroom and flatness of the center area become noticable. When I have used a catenary ridgeline it has been to take up looseness and tighten the center area as well to get a more taut pitch. When you do that you will affect the headroom and flatness.

I'm in the same boat as you, Alter. After taking Brian's info in to account, I think I've decided to go with a Hex shape. It's obviously easy to make. Might want to consider that?

That was what I was thinking, the first one I made was a hex, and aside from the ridge I'm happy with it. This next one I thought to add doors. I figured It would be as simple as making a mirror of the edge the door is being sewn to. Well, also figuring out the angle of your tarp pitch in windy conditions so the door can be sized for the opening.

Well, also figuring out the angle of your tarp pitch in windy conditions so the door can be sized for the opening.

Doors can be cross staked to overlap during high winds. I don't know how precise that calculation needs to be. I just finished sewing doors on my HH Hex and I just went witht he widest I could get using the fabric that I had. (I cut up a stock HH tarp and used that fabric.)

I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

Get some Omni Tape from the Jacks and you can make removable doors. This is probably what I'll do with my MacCat Deluxe. Thinking of adding some hald caps for the ends to help with horizontal rain during the Spring and Fall.

That is fine Brandon and you are right about taking up looseness. I see where you are coming from. How much of something you do affects how much there is too it and if you aren't putting much of a catenary cut in the ridgeline, you aren't affecting the headroom and flatness of the tarp very much if at all.

If you put more catenary in the ridgeline, you take up any looseness that may have been along the ridgeline and begin tightening the center area of the tarp. At that point the drop in headroom and flatness of the center area become noticable. When I have used a catenary ridgeline it has been to take up looseness and tighten the center area as well to get a more taut pitch. When you do that you will affect the headroom and flatness.

i agree, my point all along was that all the "drawbacks and negatives" of a cat cut rl only result from a moderate to severe cat cut and not cc rl's in general and that it's possible to benefit from a slight cut without any of those things happening.

Omni tape is a hook and loop, sew on product right? Does it have sufficient hold to fasten doors in high winds? I see that the Jacks use it on their quilt products. What kind of weight are we talking on something like this? If the tarp plus the loop side of the tape is significantly less weight than the tarp and sewn on doors this would be a great option.

Since I made a tarp with doors I would suggest Velcro over Omni Tape. The velcro has a much stronger hold in my opinion and my doors have held up swell in the wind. I have them sewn to the tarp and use velcro for closing. Weight is minimal for the luxury....
Shug of the Super Shut